


A Witch and A Knight

by Bitway



Category: Inazuma Eleven, Inazuma Eleven GO
Genre: F/M, Fantasy AU, Magic AU, San & Asta are there but they're minor charas, ina11fantasyweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:02:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28698138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bitway/pseuds/Bitway
Summary: "Your first task as a knight...is to kill the witch."Ina11 Fantasy Week day 1 - Magic
Relationships: Fran/Matsukaze Tenma
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	A Witch and A Knight

Tenma gulps as he repeats his mission over and over in his head. Those daunting words from the king loomed over his heart and soul, haunting him with every step he takes.

Magic was forbidden in many kingdoms, including this one. The destruction caused upon the land and those who wielded it left a mark in history. Laws were passed so that those who practiced it would be condemned. The use of magic was almost like a myth if it weren't for the fact that witches and warlocks would appear now and then. Thankfully, they were slain by the knights before their power got out of hand.

Now, it was his turn to follow in his knightly ancestor's footsteps.

There had been reports of a girl using magic just outside the borders of his kingdom. Hidden in a forest, one used for shortcuts if the brave souls dared to take the dangerous route. A couple of merchants had stumbled upon her path. Enraged, she had attacked them. With their report placed, there was nothing else to do but take her head.

The knight frowned at the thought, holding his hands against his chest. He knew dirty tasks like this would come his way eventually, but so soon? Tenma would rather protect the kingdom from beasts or help those within the kingdom. Having to kill someone because they practiced magic...well, it didn't sit right with him.

He turns his head to see the path behind him. He could still see the castle from here and the walls that surrounded his kingdom to keep them safe. Around him were abandoned fields, left behind by those who sought shelter in the city rather than out here. Turning ahead, he was met with an abundance of trees. The forest cast a shadow upon him, shielding him from the sun.

Inside, there was a witch.

Tenma takes in a breath before marching forward. He told himself there was no need to fear the witch. While they were strong, underneath their magic they were still flesh and blood. But that meant drawing their blood, and it made him shiver at the thought.

There's a light path that he follows, one he assumes is taken by those who use this shortcut. A hand rests against the hilt of his sword. The cape he wore concealed most of it if he were to stand still. He hoped that he wouldn't have to pull it out today. Only if a beast crossed his path and saw him as prey would he fight back.

'Meow.'

"Ah!" Tenma jumps and nearly trips over his feet as he hears the sudden meow. His hand grips onto his blade, though it loosens when he finds that this 'beast' was harmless.

"A cat?" The small cat has a dusty brown coat and stares at him with blue eyes. Its tail flicks behind as the knight bends his knees to get a better look. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

There was no collar around its neck, but a light thread with a blossoming pink flower instead. It was a beautiful flower, unlike any he had seen before. Did that kind of flower even grow in his kingdom?

The cat stares at him as if watching his every move. Without warning, it gets to its feet and turns. It starts with a slow walk before jumping behind the nearest bushes.

"Wait!" Tenma shouts. Without thinking, the knight chases after it. Someone had to have tied that flower around its neck- the owner, perhaps? It's possible the cat belonged to someone and had gotten lost out here. Regardless, he does his best to keep up with the feline by following the sound of mews and rattling bushes with the occasional twitching tail or ears poking behind some greenery.

Eventually, he comes to a stop, needing to catch his breath. When he picks his head up, he looks at his surroundings. This...was definitely far from the path he had once been on. Getting lost in this forest was something he should have prepared for.

The knight doesn't give up hope, not so easily. He tries to listen for the cat and find any traces of it. When he's unable to, he retraces his steps to the best of his abilities. He thinks that he passes a familiar tree only to pass another...similar looking one. Again. And again. Maybe he should accept that he was going to be lost for a while.

It didn't help that the sun was setting and that he needed to set up camp for the night. But first he would have to find a proper place for said camp, one that wouldn't attract any dangers. A whine escapes from his lips. Hunting for a witch had become more of just surviving in the forest.

As he was looking for a place, the smell of fire caught his attention. It smelled as if something was cooking and whatever it was; it was close by! Letting his nose lead the way, he eventually finds his way to an open area in the forest.

He finds a fire set with fish being cooked over the flames. There was a faint sound of water nearby, though he couldn't see it from here. Beyond the fire was a cottage covered in vines. If it wasn't for the wood, he would have thought it was built out of grass. But what really catches his attention is the girl standing beside the fire. She had light blue hair that reminded him of the sky on a cloudless day, blue eyes that were like the ocean, and a pure white dress with floral embroidery on the ends. She was beautiful, captivating. It was hard to take his eyes off her.

"E-Excuse me!" He squeaks out.

The girl lets out a gasp when she realizes someone else was here. Immediately, she raises her arms against her chest, stepping away from the boy.

"Sorry!" Tenma holds his hands up in the air. "I didn't mean to startle you." Slowly, he takes one step closer, waiting to see how she would react before he took another to reveal himself. "I'm just a little...lost." His stomach growls. "And hungry."

The girl doesn't move, her gaze flowing over the boy's body. She seemed hesitant on what to do. Then there's a sudden meow and a cat, that same one from before, jumps on her shoulder.

"That cat...Aw, you're okay!" Tenma says, relieved, and drops his hands for a moment.

"You...met before?" The question is posed more towards the cat, but Tenma nods. The cat gives its own answer with a mew. Her eyes go to the ground, watching the flames sizzle into her dinner. "If you're lost...you can spend the night here."

"I can? Oh, thank you very much!" Tenma quickly runs over to her, taking her hands in his. "I'll be in your care- I mean, I'll do my best to protect you." He laughs nervously. "I'm Tenma!"

"...My name is Fran."

"Fran...that's a really pretty name."

Tenma smiles at her before realizing he was holding onto her still. He releases his hold on her and steps back.

"Thank you," she replies after an awkward silence. "I hope you don't mind fish?"

"I don't."

Silence falls between them shortly after. Tenma didn't want to interrupt her as she finished making their meals. There was plenty of fish to go around and when it was time to eat, he hardly had time to talk as he practically swallowed the fish down.

"So, what brings you out here, Tenma?" Fran asks as she pets the cat that was curled up in her lap. "Not many people venture out here."

"Oh, um..." Tenma scratches behind his head. "I'm out here on a mission. I'm supposed to find a witch."

Fran tilts her head as she looks at him.

"But there is no witch out here."

"There isn't?"

"No."

Tenma hums in thought as he crosses his arms. For a moment, he doubts himself. Maybe he'd come into the wrong forest, taken the wrong turn somewhere. Then he doubts the merchants who claimed to have seen the witch. Had they been wrong? No, no. They couldn't have been.

His eyes settle on Fran. The girl didn't seem like a liar, and there was no way she could hide a witch or even be one herself. Witches wouldn't have helped someone out...would they? It's not something he thinks about for too long.

With the moon hanging overhead, Tenma realizes how late it's gotten. Fran ushers him inside her home. It's on the smaller side, but cozy. Definitely meant for one person. He stays at the entrance, although curious, he doesn't want to be rude.

"I don't have a spare bed, but the leaves will care for you." Fran says as she flattens out a pile of leaves that rested near the fireplace.

Tenma tilts his head. It hardly looked comfortable, but when he lies down upon them, he finds it even more comfortable than the bedding back home! With a blanket given to him, he's quick to snuggle underneath it after having set aside his belongings.

"Thank you, Fran." He says with a smile. "You've been really helpful to me. I'm sorry I don't have anything to pay you back..."

"It's okay...I don't get a lot of company, so this is a nice change."

"Really? I should come and visit you then. And I can bring some bread next time too."

Fran doesn't respond, only gives him a half-smile. She gives a quiet 'goodnight' to him before heading into her bedroom.

Tenma lies on his back, trying to think of his day and Fran. He lets out a yawn and finds himself suddenly sleepy. Maybe it was from running around all day and not being able to take a break until now. Whatever the case, he doesn't keep his eyes open for very long.

A shadow of a person was cast over the defenseless knight. Dark blue eyes watching as his chest rose and fell in even breathing.

"So, what are you going to do with him?" The girl turns her head, staring at the cat that was sitting beside her. Its head tilts up to meet her gaze. "He is a knight." The cat moves a paw up to push a golden seal of the kingdom towards her. "A knight looking for a witch."

"I know that, San," Fran breathes out. The sight of that piece of gold was enough to make her skin crawl. It was hard to believe that this boy was part of that kingdom. "I know what I need to do."

She raises a hand, holding it over the boy. The bed of leaves twitch and grow, cradling him in their grasp. His entire body is covered in leaves with vines ready to constrict his entire body. Only his face is left free.

It would be a quick and peaceful death. He wouldn't even know what happened to him. Her magic had soothed him to sleep and it would steal his life from him without him even knowing. With the twitch of her fingers, the vines begin to wrap around his neck; the leaves growing over his face.

"Fran..." She stops, holds her breath when she hears him utter her name. "She's...my new friend..."

Sleep talking. He's sleep talking.

Fran remains in place. She gulps. Slowly, she pulls back her hand to have it rest against her side. The leaves and vines revert their growth, freeing Tenma and returning to the bed it had once been.

"Fran?"

San looks to her for an explanation. She only lowers her head, letting the darkness cover her eyes. She wouldn't be able to give him an answer even if she wanted to.

Without a word, she turns and takes quiet steps back to her room. She slides onto her bed and holds her knees against her chest. San follows shortly after, the cat rubbing his body against hers.

Taking a life was never easy.

The smell of food calls Tenma from his slumber. Eyes lazily blink open and he lets out a yawn. He forces his body to sit up, leaving the comfort of the bed of leaves. As he rubs his eyes, he finds the table with a plate set on it.

"Fran?" He calls for the girl but she doesn't respond.

Tenma knocks on the door to her room and hears nothing. When he opens the door, he finds her outside with her cat. He lets out a sigh of relief before returning to the table and eating his breakfast.

When he had cleaned up his plate, he gathered his belongings. Leaving this little house in the woods was harder than he thought. Part of him longed to stay and learn more about this mysterious girl, but he also had a duty to fulfill. Maybe afterwards he could return.

"Morning, Fran!" He waves as he steps out of the house.

The girl turns around, looking to him and uttering a soft, "good morning," that he barely catches. "Are you...going to return to the kingdom?"

"Not yet. I have to find the witch- n-not that I doubt you or anything! But...I don't know, I feel like I should at least scout the forest, you know? In case there is one. I'd feel a lot better knowing that you were safe to," he says with a sweet smile.

"I see..." Fran pauses, turning her head. "You are interesting, Tenma. Please, take care."

"I will." Tenma jumps to her, taking her hands. Surprised, she turns to look at him once again. "I promise to come back and see you too." With a shake of her hands and a tight squeeze, he has trouble pulling himself away from her.

"See you later, Fran!" The knight shouts before running off, not noticing the torn look on the girl's face, words stuck in her throat, and a hand reaching out for him as he disappeared into the forest.

"Are you planning on leaving this to Asta?" San asks.

"..."

The cat sighs. "I don't want you to regret this, Fran."

"I...won't."

Returning to the forest, Tenma did his best to find the path he had taken when he first entered. It was still difficult, but he found hope when the trees weren't so dense and suffocating around him. That had to be a good sign, right?

He wonders what he's going to do if he doesn't find the witch by nightfall. He shouldn't be relying on shelter from Fran, but he was drawn to the girl. She filled his mind and made it difficult to trek on ahead without turning to look back.

Lost in his thoughts, he ends up in a small clearing with a mossy cave. Curiosity gets the better of him and he peers inside. If it was empty, it could provide shelter for the night, but if it wasn't...well, he didn't want to think about that.

Unfortunately for him, he had to.

The knight could hear a loud and heavy breathing. It sounded like a sleeping beast. His hand was ready at his blade's hilt as he tried to peer inside the darkness to see what it was exactly. When he steps on something hard, something that definitely was not like the vines ground underneath, does he jump back. The thing slithers back and sharp orange eyes open in the darkness.

Whatever the creature is, it's awake now and not pleased. At all. It lets out a huff, raises its form and causes Tenma to run towards the entrance. While he manages to escape its home, the creature follows, poking its reptilian head out from its home.

The knight lets out a gasp when he finds a dragon looking down at him. It wasn't huge like most stories told, but it was definitely bigger than him. Its black scales reflected in the sunlight, its eyes staring at its newfound prey. Wings spread and talons gripped into the dirt below.

As much as he hated the thought of having to fight, he still pulls out his blade. He had to protect himself, especially when this one looked ready to attack. He would worry about how and why a dragon was sleeping here later. For now, he would focus on surviving.

The dragon pulls its head back, a red glow shining in its throat. Tenma would have to move and fast-

"Asta!"

Fran appears from the trees. Tenma turns to look with fear and worry in his eyes to the thought that she was in danger now too. While looking at her, he hadn't seen the dragon's color settle back with smoke blowing out of its nose.

"Fran, you're not safe here!"

"I am," she admits, confidently. Tenma blinks. She watches as the girl walks towards the dragon. The creature's head lowers and presses up against her as if they knew each other. And she laughs to its touch. When she presses a hand against its head, a bright light shines between them and the dragon shrinks in size. It had been reduced to a salamander, one that rested in her hands and made its way to sit upon the girl's shoulder.

"Fran...?"

The girl takes in a breath, nervously looking to the knight.

"I'm...a witch, Tenma. I'm the one you were looking for." She bites down on her lip, grips onto her own arm. Her cat was beside her, body pressed against her leg.

"But I thought..."

"I lied, to protect myself." She couldn't meet his gaze. "I wanted to get rid of you before you could do the same to me, but...I couldn't. I'm sorry."

The girl holds her breath, staying still. Tenma could only stare. Sure, the thought that she was a witch crossed his mind, but he'd never really considered it. Even now he almost doubted what he saw.

The blade is returned to its sheath, and he makes slow steps towards her. When she flinches, he stops, taking even slower steps. Like before, he takes her hands in his.

"Thanks for saving me. From Asta, right? Your friend?" He laughs nervously. Fran lifts her head, surprise shining in her eyes. "I didn't really want to kill the witch...We're told their bad and evil, but you're not! Even knowing you are one...I don't think I could go through with it. I mean, you're my friend, right?"

"I am...?" She mumbles. She lets out a breath she'd been holding, her hands squeezing his.

All her life people wanted her dead. She had only known fear and destruction for so long, something like this...warmth and hope, it felt so foreign to her. It was easy to doubt him, to think he was lying to her, but in her heart she wanted to think this was true.

"Yeah!" Tenma smiles at her before frowning. "I don't know what to do now though..."

Not killing her meant he failed his mission. He could return and lie, but to his king? That wasn't so easy. Not to mention that lying in general wasn't easy either.

Fran looks down at their hands. Her fingers lightly grazed over his. Her gaze shifts between the cat at her feet and the lizard on her shoulder. Then she sighs.

He takes one hand and sandwiches in between hers. Her eyes shut, and she utters unintelligible words that make Tenma tilt his head. A vine slithers out from the sleeve of her dress, making its way to her hand. A thorn poked into her skin, causing blood to pour down into his hand. A light shines in between them. And when she removes her hands, a beautiful blue flower is left behind.

"When witches die, we leave a part of our magic behind. If you show this to the kingdom, they'll believe you've defeated me."

"Huh? But I can't-"

"You shouldn't be connected to a witch." Fran takes a hesitant step back. "Please...Take it as a gift." For accepting me.

Tenma wants to protest, and he would if Fran hadn't taken a quick step forward. Her lips pressed against his forehead and he's forced to shut his eyes as a light shines upon him. The next thing he knows, he's standing at the entrance of the forest.

"Fran...?"

He's almost ready to run back into the forest, wanting to see her again, but the flower in his hand holds him back.

"Are you sure about this?" San asks.

"Yeah. You don't know what that kid'll do." Asta adds.

Fran holds her breath, taking small steps and pauses where the light shines in through the trees. It was...a big risk to take. Letting someone live after learning what she was. But...

"I trust him."

San and Asta glance at one another. If they could both shrug, they would.

"Does this mean we have to leave? I was beginning to like it here," Asta whines.

"We could always just make this forest a maze and hide within it."

"I don't know what I want to do yet," Fran admits. "I do want to see him again though..."


End file.
